Although problems that originated a few years ago continue to be the focus of the election, the recall and anti-recall camps also have fought intense battles over more recent issues, with one ending up in court.

April: The CUSD Recall Committee sues Benecke and Draper over the 200-word campaign statements they prepared for the sample ballot, arguing they are intentionally misleading and do not pertain to their qualifications or education, as required by law. Rather than retain an attorney to fight the lawsuit, the embattled trustees agree to allow a judge to strike their statements before the ballot is printed and distributed. Neither trustee admits to wrongdoing.

May: The recall committee threatens to sue the district's PTSA after learning some of its members have developed a series of questions for all six candidates and are planning to distribute the candidates' written responses to parents via e-mail. The recall committee argues through an attorney that none of the questions address the reasons for the recall and are biased in favor of Benecke and Draper. The PTSA backs down, citing the threat of a lawsuit; the recall committee says the questionnaire is a thinly disguised attempt by the PTSA to help Benecke and Draper get their campaign message out.

June: The Parents Against the Recall group alleges that recall committee-backed Ken Maddox misrepresented his qualifications in campaign literature by stating he co-authored legislation requiring class-size reduction. Because the former state Assemblyman didn't say his bill died before it reached the Assembly floor, the parents group accuses him of making intentionally misleading statements. Maddox denies the accusations, saying his point was simply to show his personal commitment to smaller class sizes, not whether the bill was successful.

WHAT'S NEXT

About 214,000 people residing in the school district's boundaries are eligible to vote in Tuesday's election. They span seven cities and about 195 square miles, from Mission Viejo to San Clemente. Regardless of how the race shakes out, the board will be faced with some tough decisions between now and November, the date of the next regular election.

•The school board earlier this month approved a $400 million budget for the 2008-09 school year that eliminates about 150 jobs and 70 percent of the district's bus routes. The cuts were made based on an anticipated shortfall from the state, but if more money becomes available, the school board will get to decide which jobs and services to reinstate and in what order, said district spokeswoman Beverly de Nicola. And if less money is available than anticipated, the board will be looking to make even tougher cuts.

•The district is also wrapping up a master facilities assessment of its 56 campuses to determine how the district will prioritize repairs and renovations. A draft of the comprehensive, long-range plan will likely come before trustees in the fall, de Nicola said.

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